Knaresborough (/ˈnɛərzbərə/ NAIRZ-bər-ə) is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England.

He was constable of Knaresborough and leader of the group of four knights who murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170.

Hugh de Morville forfeited the lands in 1173, not for his implication in the murder of Thomas Becket, but for "complicity in the rebellion of Henry the Young King", according to the Early Yorkshire Charters.

[9][10] Knaresborough Forest, which extended far to the south of the town, is reputed to have been one of King John's favourite hunting grounds.

In Edward II's reign, the castle was occupied by rebels and the curtain walls were breached by a siege engine.

In 1328, as part of the marriage settlement, Queen Philippa was granted "the Castle, Town, Forest and Honour of Knaresborough" by Edward III and the parish church was restored.

After the accession of Henry IV the castle lost much of its importance in national affairs, but remained a key site in regional administration for another century.

In the English Civil War, following the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, the castle was besieged by Parliamentary forces.

The castle eventually fell and in 1646 an order was made by Parliament for its destruction (but not carried out till 1648).

[14] Knaresbrough appeared in the first episode, opening election sequence of the ITV comedy series The New Statesman.

Sights in the town include the remains of Knaresborough Castle, the Courthouse Museum in the castle grounds, Mother Shipton's Cave, the House in the Rock, St Robert's Cave (dating from the Middle Ages), and the railway viaduct over the River Nidd.

This child had abnormal very blonde woolly hair resembling the fleece of a sheep and was known as the Woolly-Headed Boy of Fort Montague.

[17] The Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag on Abbey Road is a Grade I listed shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

[20] The principal areas of public open space are the Knaresborough Castle grounds, Horseshoe Field, the King George V Playing Field and Jacob Smith Park, a 30-acre (12-hectare) parkland on the edge of the town, bequeathed to Knaresborough by Miss Winifred Jacob Smith in 2003.

The Commercial (formerly Borough Bailiff) public house, owned by the Samuel Smith Old Brewery, was the oldest pub in Knaresborough until it closed.

At the lowest level of governance Knaresborough has a town council which, for election and administrative purposes.

The town is four miles (six kilometres) from junction 47 of the A1(M) motorway (Great North Road), and on the A59 which links York and Wallasey.

It is also served by Transdev, Go Ahead and 21 Transport[26] who both run buses in the area that centre around Knaresborough bus station on the High Street.

Knaresborough is mostly a commuter town but it also serves as a local centre for the surrounding rural villages.

The town has fifteen public houses, a wine bar, two working men's clubs and several restaurants.

On 6 July 2014, Stage 2 of the 2014 Tour de France from York to Sheffield, passed through the town.